Cited by 1,386Fatty Acid Research and HealthNutritional Studies and DietLipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health

Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association

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Sacks, Frank M., Lichtenstein, Alice H., Wu, Jason H.Y., Appel, Lawrence J., Creager, Mark A., Kris-Etherton, Penny M., Miller, Michael, Rimm, Eric B. +4 more·2017·Circulation

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death, accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year. Preventive treatment that reduces CVD by even a small percentage can substantially reduce, nationally and globally, the number of people who develop CVD and the costs of caring for them. This American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats and CVD reviews and discusses the scientific evidence, including the most recent studies, on the effects of dietary saturated fat intake and its replacement by other types of fats and carbohydrates on CVD. In summary, randomized controlled trials that lowered intake of dietary saturated fat and replaced it with polyunsaturated vegetable oil reduced CVD by ≈30%, similar to the reduction achieved by statin treatment. Prospective observational studies in many populations showed that lower intake of saturated fat coupled with higher intake of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat is associated with lower rates of CVD and of other major causes of death and all-cause mortality. In contrast, replacement of saturated fat with mostly refined carbohydrates and sugars is not associated with lower rates of CVD and did not reduce CVD in clinical trials. Replacement of saturated with unsaturated fats lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, a cause of atherosclerosis, linking biological evidence with incidence of CVD in populations and in clinical trials. Taking into consideration the totality of the scientific evidence, satisfying rigorous criteria for causality, we conclude strongly that lowering intake of saturated fat and replacing it with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, will lower the incidence of CVD. This recommended shift from saturated to unsaturated fats should occur simultaneously in an overall healthful dietary pattern such as DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) or the Mediterranean diet as emphasized by the 2013 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology lifestyle guidelines and the 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Mensink RP. Effects of Saturated Fatty Acids on Serum Lipids and Lipopro- teins: A Systematic Review and Regression Analysis. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2016.
  2. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA News Release: The FDA takes step to remove artificial trans fats in processed foods. http://www.fda.gov/ newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm451237.htm. Accessed January 14, 2016.
  3. Campos H, Roederer GO, Lussier-Cacan S, Davignon J, Krauss RM. Pre- dominance of large LDL and reduced HDL2 cholesterol in normolipid- emic men with coronary artery disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1995;15:1043-1048.

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Authors
Sacks, F. M., Lichtenstein, A. H., Wu, J. H. Y., Appel, L. J., Creager, M. A., Kris-Etherton, P. M., Miller, M., Rimm, E. B., Rudel, L. L., Robinson, J. G., Stone, N. J., & Van Horn, L. V.
Venue
Circulation
Published
2017-07-18
Volume
136
Issue
3
Pages
e1-e23
ISSN
  • 0009-7322 (ISSN-L)
  • 1524-4539
OpenAlex
W2625336870
Cited by
1,386
References
139
Citations by year
2026: 125 · 2025: 157 · 2024: 148 · 2023: 161 · 2022: 139 · 2021: 172 · 2020: 165 · 2019: 154 · 2018: 136 · 2017: 27 · 2013: 1
FWCI
13.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Circulation (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health
Keywords
dietary saturated fat, cardiovascular disease, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, vegetable oils, refined carbohydrates, fat replacement, LDL cholesterol, atherosclerosis, DASH diet, Mediterranean diet, dietary guidelines, cardiovascular disease prevention
MeSH terms
Healthy Lifestyle, American Heart Association, Cardiovascular Diseases, Dietary Fats, Dietary Fats, Unsaturated, Humans, Prospective Studies, United States, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Nutrition Policy

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